Wouw is a village in the southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Neth ...

. It is located in

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the ...

, between the cities

Roosendaal Roosendaal () is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Towns/villages of the municipality * Roosendaal (population: 66,760) * Wouw (4,920) * Heerle (1,900) * Nispen (1,440) * Wouwse P ...

and

Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands. Etymology The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil ...

, close to the border with Belgium. Until 1997 Wouw was the seat of the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Wouw. The municipality consisted of the villages of Wouw,

Heerle Heerle (Brabantic: ''Èrel'') is a village in the municipality of Roosendaal, in the Dutch province of North Brabant. Before the municipal reorganisation of 1997, Heerle was part of the municipality of Wouw. It lies between the cities of Bergen o ...

, Wouwse Plantage and Moerstraten. In 1997 Wouw was merged into the municipality of

Roosendaal en Nispen Roosendaal en Nispen was a municipality in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It included the villages of Roosendaal and Nispen. In 1997, the municipality merged with Wouw Wouw is a village in the southern Netherlands. It is located in North B ...

, the resulting enlarged municipality becoming known simply as

. In 2007 Wouw celebrated its 775th anniversary.

History

The origins of Wouw probably go back to around 1200 which is when exploitation of the local woodland began to occur. The evolution from woodland clearing to village progressed relatively rapidly during the high Middle Ages, with mention of a church in 1277, and the establishment of the parish in 1304. The first surviving record of the moated castle, built by the Lords of

, dates from 1342. In 2007, Wouw celebrated its 775th year of existence.

The castle of Wouw

Between Wouw and Heerle there used to be a castle. This castle is first mentioned in 1379 as "Het Huis te Woude", which means: The House in Woude. (Woude=Wouw). It was a round castle surrounded by a body of water. This provided protection to its lord and its inhabitants. The grounds outside the castle were very fertile, and many farms were to be found there. The lord could see and thus supervise all the farmers' grounds from his castle. The lord also had a military role. For example, he fought in several battles. After the invention of gunpowder the inhabitants of the castle would no longer be safe. The castle therefore became one of the first castles to be strengthened by

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

s. During the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

the castle was captured several times. As a consequence the inhabitants eventually fled. The castle was inhabited from 1583 till 1594. Since then the castle has had many uses but eventually it slowly vanished. Nowadays nothing much can be seen of the castle. Plants have been planted marking parts of the foundations of the castle, so the positions of some of the buildings can still be inferred.

Gallery

File:St Lambert Church, Wouw, Netherlands.jpg, St Lambert Church File:Kasteel van Wouw in 1775 door H.deCort.gif, Painting of the Wouw Castle (1775) File:RoosendaalsestraatWouw.JPG, Street view File:Wouw - Raadhuis.jpg, Town hall

References

External links

* {{in lang, nl}
Heemkundekring de vierschaer,an association which deal with the history of Wouw
Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1997 Populated places in North Brabant Former municipalities of North Brabant Roosendaal